Building construction



Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

EDWARD FINK, OF 'AI.TVV A.'.[OSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 COMPU-TILE MANUFAC- TUBING- CO., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Application inea rune 9, i922. serial No. 567,135.

duce a cementitious board which may be effectively employed as a shingle, clapboard, and the like, in place of the usual wooden shingles or clapboards heretofore employed.

A further object of the invention is to vprovide a board of this character in theY body of which is incorporated a reinforcing member such as burlap, metal lath or wire,

`whereby the strength of the board will be greatly increased.

A still further object of the invention is` to provide a board having a recessed edge adapted to overlap an adjacent board which pensive to manufacture and more efficient in.

use than those which have been heretofore proposed. A

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of" numerals designate like parts in all the views view of a portion of a building 'showing f boards made in accordance with the present invention in place thereon. v Fig. 2 1s a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken' on the line 2 2 of FiO. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.V

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional'view, tak- 'en on the 1in@ 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking down `and showing in detail the method of fastening the lower or overlapping edges of the boards.

Fig. a is a view similar to Fig. l illustrating'a somewhat modified form ofthe construction, wherein a butt joint'is provided in'place of the voverlapping joint.

Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken approximately on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4; y j

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of one of the boards illustrated `in Figs. 1,2, and l 3, clearly showing the tapering feature thereof; and

Fig. p7 is a sectional view -of `a' modified form of the invention. Y

Referring more especially to Figs. l, 2, 3, and 6, thernumeral l indicates the studding or upright members of apbuilding to which are secured the clapboards 2. These said boards in the present instance are composedV Vof cementitious material commonlyknown as Sorels cement or magnesite cement, which consistsV of calcined magnesia mixed with varyingl amounts of inert matter, such as silica, wood fiber, and the like, to which mixture 'may` be added anyr suitable Vcoloring matter, aswell as a solution yof magnesium chloride, which causes the whole to set into a stone-like mass. Y Y 'Y I In making these boardsv according tothe present invention a sheet orstripor reinforcing material 3, such for example, as metal lath or woven wireor other fabric, of suitable dimensions, is placed ywithin a mold and a mixture such as above described is introduced therein, so, that the said reinforcing material is completely covered thereby and firmly incorporated in the bodyof the board. If the usual shingle or clapboard effect is to be produced, one surface of the board is tapered as at 4f, so that one edge 5l thereof, which will constitute the upper edge when the board is in place, will approximate a feather edge, while the opposite edge 6, will be several times the thickness of the edge 5.

a recess extending the full lengthk ofl the board, which is adapted to receive the upper edge 5 of the board below, as is clearly illus- /trated in Fig.2. This constructionprovides a depending tongue 8, which overl ps the feather edge 5 of the board below,

a t ereby 'Ihe edge 6 is cut away as atl 7, to provide vtion 7, in vsubstantial alinement with the rearface 120i the board. The said tongues yextend into the said recess, for say only to 12- its depth, so that they no wise interfere with the upper edges of the lower boards.

The said tongues, preferably made of 4spring metal, are adapted to engage metal straps or socket members 13,secured to the studding or joists 1, by means ofV screwsor other suitable fastenings 14, as lis clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3.

Vvhen one Vboard is fastened to the studding or wall the metal strips are fastened to the studding or wall immediately above the narrow or feather edge 5 of the board, so that the metal tongues of theneXt board engage these strips and the upper. board upon being forced downward into place is drawn tightly against thefupperedge of the board below. 4rFhis is highly important especially in roofing, as it elfectually prevents any raising up or buckling of theboard. ln practice it is advisable to apply some fresh cement to the recessed edge of theboard before putting same-into place, the cement upon hardening eHectually unites one board to the other, thus preventing any rain or snow from entering beneath the boards.

his form of fastening isvfar superior to securing the boards tightly by means of nails or-screws, as it allows for considerable shrinking or warping of the rigid members without danger of cracking the boards. rlhe uppermost as well as the lowermost board in -a wall must generally be fastened by nailing or screwing and to permit this a plurality of perforations 9 are provided ac joining the feather edge of the board through which nails or other means of fastening may be placed. 1While the board is constructed to permit nailing, the perforations are nevertheless desirable as all danger of cracking the board through nailing is eliminated.

rlhe method of employing the present inn vention will be clear fom the foregoing, but it may be briefly summarized as follows:

The boards being made in suitable lengths upto say four feet or more, are applied to 'the studding or joists 1 with their flat rear surface 12 in engagement therewith, and the lowermost board is secured in position by means of nails or other suitable fasten-ing members passing through the holes or perggg m4873155 forations 9 and entering the said studding or joist.

The lower portion 11 of the tongue members 10 of the next succeeding board is inserted in the strap members 13, which are secured to the studding i, whereupon the upper edge of the second board may be secured thereto by means of nailing it to the said studding. The tongue portion 8 of the upper heard will overlap the feather edge 5 of the lewer ooard to any desired predetermined extent and after all the boards are in place a building construction will result which will hare all of the appearances of the usual clapboard or shingle construction. Furthermore inasmuch as the material from which the boards are made is of a fire and water proof nature a construction will result which is exceedingly durable and comparatively safe.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. l and 5 instead of providing an overlapping joint the boards are not tapered, so that the lower edges 15 thereof will abut the upper' edges 16 of the lower boards, and thus produce a flush joint. The construction, in other respects, is the same as that disclosed in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, and need not be repeated.

lt is obvious, of course, that these boards may be made in any desired sizes and that they may be employed either as clapboards or on the siding of the building, or as shingles for the roof, as shown in Fig. 7 in which the cut away portion 7 is of greater length.

lt is also obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the precise construction as well as the arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invern tion, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A composition board for building construction comprising arfire and waterproof cementitious body portion having a. reinforcing member incorporated therein, said body portion having opposed flat faces and being tapered to provide a relatively thin edge, and a relatively thick edge disposed oppo site thereto, said thick'edge being recessed to receive the thin edge of an adjacent board, the parts being so proportioned that said thin edge will occupy only a portion of said recess.

2. A composition board for building construction comprising a cementitious body portion having a reinforcing member incorporated therein, and provided with One thin edge, the opposite edge of said board being provided with means substantially Hush with the surface of the board adapted to readily engage and disengage a securing means rigid with a portion of the building.

cementitious taperedy body portion havinga metallic fabric reinforcing member incorporated therein, and provided With perforations adjacent its thinner edge adapted to receive ltastening mea-ns, the thicker edge` of said body portion being recessed to receive a retaining member rigid with a portion of the building and provided Withv a tongue member positioned Within said recess adapted to readily engage and disengage said retaining member.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

EDWARD FINK. 

